Lodi's bid for anti-gang funding denied

LODI - Lodi's application for a third round of gang intervention funding has been denied, which could mean the end of the Police Department's increased patrol after 2014.

Keith Reid

LODI - Lodi's application for a third round of gang intervention funding has been denied, which could mean the end of the Police Department's increased patrol after 2014.

Lodi Neighborhood Services manager Joseph Wood said the city has already received about $550,000 in Gang Reduction Intervention and Prevention grants that, with matching city money, has allowed police to crack down on gang activity - primarily in east Lodi - along with other programs.

The programs are funded through 2014, but the city's application for an additional $300,000 that would have carried funding through 2015 was not successful.

"I think more and more agencies are finding out about these funds, and it's getting more competitive," Wood said, adding that he hopes the city will be successful in applying for a grant that covers 2015 and 2016 next year, and that the programs would continue.

Lodi first applied for a GRIP grant in 2012 in response to an increase of violent gang-related crimes in east Lodi.

In 2013, gang crime has decreased by 37 percent over 2012 and represents less than a quarter of 2011's high-water mark of 200 gang-related incidents, police said.

Along with increased patrols, the city has hired two part-time counselors who work with young gang members at school, including a highly touted handball program at Lodi High School.

The city also hosted a gun buyback program with some of its GRIP grant funding and has planned to use some money to help pay for some gang members to cover up or remove their affiliated tattoos. Increased code enforcement in gang neighborhoods has also led to a decrease in crime, police said.

Wood said the youth outreach portion of the gang program will remain in place even if the city does not receive more grant money.

"Youth outreach is paid for from the general fund, so that part will be ongoing," he said. "The bulk of the grant funds is the stepped-up enforcement."